Pu La turns eighty

PUNE, Nov 8: They came from all walks of life. How could they not. After all it was the State8217;s most loved personality8217;s 80th birthday. The humourist par excellence Pu La Deshpande spent a hectic day at his Malati Madhav residence receiving hordes of fans who could not but miss the occasion to extend their wishes.

So while wife Sunita busied herself by offering a peda and coffee to each visitor, Deshpande patiently sat in his wheelchair, accepted the bouquets and wore a tired but happy smile throughout the day. The who8217;s who from the world of music, theatre and cinema Bhakti Barve- Inamdar, Sharad Talwalkar, Jyotsna Bhole and Shivaji Sawant among others turned up during to greet Pu La. For those who could not personally greet the living legend, spoke to him on the telephone.

Defence Minister George Fernandes also visited Pu LA while family and friends settled in America and Australia too exchanged pleasantries over the telephone. The frail man had a smile for all. Collector Vijay Kumar Gautam, trade unionist Baba Adhav, social worker Anil Awachat, cartoonist S D Phadnis and close friends like Ram Kolhatkar too made a beeline to greet him.